


The Panic in Me

by rasputinberries



Category: Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: ??? Kind of, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Male Friendship, Men Crying, Sharing a Bed, Sleepiness, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Wordcount: 100-1.000, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 13:19:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2430275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rasputinberries/pseuds/rasputinberries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miguel never cries. So what does Tulio do when he does?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Panic in Me

Tulio woke up and heard light sobbing from the other side of the dungeon in the ship. He was trying hard to hold back his own fears and feelings, and earlier he'd almost broken down in front of Miguel. But this time, he wasn't the one crying. He turned his head and saw the source of the tears; his partner, Miguel.  
The blond-haired man never cried. It wasn't part of who he was. It was always Tulio who cried, never the other way around. Whenever he'd panicked about being caught by guards after gambling in the streets or stealing, Miguel was there to cheer him up, to restore his confidence with a smile. But now, the light and happiness had escaped his green eyes, which were full of tears.  
"Miguelito... are you okay?" he asked groggily. Then, he realized, and it came to him as a shock. "You're... crying!"  
The blond-haired Spaniard rubbed his eyes. It was dark except for a tinge of moonlight and he could barely see Tulio even though he was only three feet away. "I'm fine."  
"No! You're not fine! How dare you lie to me, Miguel!"  
"Sorry," he sniffled.  
"You are literally sobbing right now! You woke me up! And lied to me!" The inflections in his voice made it clear that he himself was panicking.  
The other man didn't say anything, just continued crying.  
"Well, to be honest, I couldn't sleep anyway because I was too busy thinking," he admitted. "Why are you crying? You never cry! What's wrong?"  
The waterfall he'd been trying to hide fell from Miguel's eyes. "I'm scared. What's going to happen to us, Tulio? What if we die at sea...? I don't want to die, not yet..."  
The taller man felt shattered to see his friend cry. He had the same fears himself, but now he had to play the part of comforter and ease his partner's pain.  
"Calm down, darling..."  
"Darling?" His weak voice, usually strong, reflected his fear.  
"Yes," Tulio replied. He ran a hand down his companion's arm. "I'm right here. I won't leave you, ever. Because... I..." he hesitated. "I think you're the best partner in crime a man could ever have."  
Miguel was still crying. "What if Cortes and his men separate us? What if they force us apart?" Bawling, he leaned into Tulio's shoulder.  
He himself had wondered the same thing, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He had to comfort Miguel right now. "No, no, no. Don't cry. Don't think about that. We'll always be together."  
"You're just saying that."  
"For the love of God, dear, just believe me," ordered Tulio. "I don't want to see you like this. It makes me sad. It hurts me, and I'm already in a lot of pain."  
He looked back up. "Okay. I just couldn't bear the thought of living like that. Without you."  
"Breathe." He set his hands on Miguel's chest to feel the rise and fall as it became slower and steadier. "Good. Now try to get some sleep."  
"Thank you for being there." He curled up in the pile of hay. "Good night, partner." Finally, his voice was calm, and he almost instantly fell asleep.  
Tulio lay next to Miguel and closed his eyes, whispering after he was sure that his friend was asleep, "I won't leave you, ever. Because... I... I love you."


End file.
